SEEN IN HIGHLAND PARK:Laura sent us that photo, and before we got the chance to publish it, Gretchen sent a note about the same car, a Nissan Sentra GXE, abandoned at 18th and Cloverdale (map), described as “entire engine block … missing and had four spare tires. No license plates.” And a gutted interior. It’s been reported to SPD.

HIT-AND-RUN MYSTERY: This happened to Brian‘s car early today:

He writes:

I live at 48th SW and Oregon [map]. Last night right before 2:30 am, a red SUV with a black roof and chrome extended grill smashed into my car. I heard the collision and saw the SUV take off heading west on Oregon from my bedroom window but didn’t get the plate.

Any idea whose SUV that was? A report’s been filed with police – case #100658.

SOUTHEAST SEATTLE SHOOTING SUSPECT FOUND IN WEST SEATTLE: Last night at 23rd SW/SW Brandon, police made a “felony stop” – guns drawn, as is SOP when someone in a pulled-over vehicle is suspected of a felony. We thought we heard, via scanner, the word “shooting,” but couldn’t find evidence of any West Seattle gunfire incidents last night, and couldn’t reach police for information.

After we contacted the Media Relations unit this morning, Det. Drew Fowler looked into this for us and discovered it was related to an incident in Southeast Seattle that was already on SPD Blotter; they’ve as a result just updated it to include the West Seattle angle: The original incident involved gunfire from three cars in the Rainier Beach area around 7:45 last night; nobody was hit. The car then pulled over at 23rd/Brandon matched the description of one vehicle seen speeding from the scene. Gang detectives arrested its 21-year-old driver, a Federal Way resident and convicted felon who police say they saw “ditching a gun at the original shooting scene,” for felony weapons possession, and booked him into jail. (The car was impounded.)

IF YOU HEARD GUARDIAN ONE OVER THE JUNCTION LAST NIGHT: It was NOT related to the incident above, so far as we know. They were in the area and helping SPD check out a report of “a large fight” in The Junction. The King County Air Support crew subsequently reported via Twitter that nothing was found.

An abandoned Chevy stepside pick up truck was discovered on SW 104th at 38th this morning next to AHES construction site. No plates, no engine, and the interior is gutted. City of Seattle notified through their Find it, Fix it app.

STORE BURGLARY ARREST: You might recall Wyatt’s Jewelers (WSB sponsor) in Westwood Village getting broken into twice in December, the first one hitting hours before their holiday open house, to which they responded defiantly with a bow over the plywood covering the smashed-in door:

Talking with the proprietors this week, we found out a suspect has been arrested and charged in that break-in. Police identified 38-year-old Ioane Sua of First Hill via a palm-print match and surveillance video. Once they knew who they were looking for, he wasn’t hard to find … he was already in the King County Jail, arrested on January 10th after being found driving a car that had been stolen on New Year’s Day from the Home Depot parking lot on Delridge. Prosecutors charged Sua with second-degree burglary in late January, and have since charged him in the stolen-car case too. He was scheduled to return to court today, but the hearing was postponed because a possible plea agreement is in the works, according to a document in the online files. He remains jailed in lieu of $30,000 bail, and has a lengthy criminal record.

They found my car in White Center with stolen plates on it. The inside was filled with garbage, food and a bag full of stolen mail that was all opened, from as far away as Sammamish, hence my full tank of gas depleted. My glovebox, console, trunk all emptied. Every part of the inside and parts of the outside wiped down with smelly, greasy cleaner to cover their tracks. The good news is that there’s no real damage. With case # in hand I drove home with no license plates, which I’ll have to replace tomorrow.

STOLEN BICYCLE: That bike’s owner says it was stolen last night around 9:45 pm:

My bike (which happens to be my primary means of transportation) was stolen on the 42XX block of Admiral Way. It was locked to a bike rack in front of Vidiot (a small bar). A report has been filed with the police who drove around for a bit in search of the property. I saw the man ride away but unfortunately could not keep up with him. He was wearing street clothes, had a backpack, and had medium length curly hair. … The police mentioned that stolen bikes are typically ditched after a joy ride or end up in a pawn shop. I’m hoping that if someone sees the bike they can alert the police.

(added)STOLEN CAR: Got word of this just after we publishing this roundup, so we’re adding:

My car was stolen from in front of my house. On 40th Ave SW between Brandon and Findlay. 1994 Honda Accord LX, black with plates AFV7888. Has a sticker like this one on the right side back bumper, maybe a different color. I think I had a Sierra Club sticker in back window, or WTA sticker.

MAILBOX BREAK-IN: From a Highland Park resident:

I just wanted to let you know that we had our mailbox, which is a sturdy locked box, broken into. It looks like they used something to bend the metal, dislodging the locking mechanism. Mail was taken and discarded on the side of our property- I guess they didn’t want our medical bill or mortgage statement :) This happened this weekend while we were out of town. We live on the corner of 17th and Cloverdale.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON: In the 4400 block of 39th SW last night:

We had to call the police … At 10:00 pm, there was a man smoking either crack or meth on our front lawn. He knocked on my door and asked for water. When we asked him to leave, he danced and lit his pipe. We called 911. The police came but said they could not arrest him. They said they would monitor his activity.

ABOUT READER REPORTS: SPD does not routinely make public the detailed reports of most incidents – so unless we get a reader report or happen to cover an incident as it happens, we won’t hear about it, but it’s often helpful for your West Seattle neighbors to know what’s happening and where (not just your block – a stolen car, bike, etc., could turn up miles away). We hope you WON’T ever have anything to report, but if you do, editor@westseattleblog.com … provided you’ve already reported it to the police. For breaking news, 206-293-6302, text or voice, 24/7; thank you!

]]>http://westseattleblog.com/2015/03/west-seattle-crime-watch-stolen-bicycle-mail-theft-suspicious-person-who-danced-and-lit-his-pipe/feed/17VIDEO: Alki shooting, fight recorded by witness who hopes ‘this will show … why we need more police’http://westseattleblog.com/2015/03/video-alki-shooting-fight-recorded-by-witness-who-hopes-this-will-show-why-we-need-more-police/
http://westseattleblog.com/2015/03/video-alki-shooting-fight-recorded-by-witness-who-hopes-this-will-show-why-we-need-more-police/#commentsMon, 23 Mar 2015 19:06:51 +0000WSBhttp://westseattleblog.com/?p=304786By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

When we first reported on Sunday about the early-morning shooting on Alki that left one person hurt, we had little information. We have since been contacted by a witness who recorded almost a minute of the chaos and gunfire and wanted to make it public, saying, “I believe that this will show many why we need more police and why our youth/young adults should be monitored closely at these hours of the night.”

ALERT: This is unedited phone video (except to fix it from vertical to horizontal fit) and you will hear lots of profanities in the audio **if you choose to play the clip.** The gunshots are audible and muzzle flashes are seen, but the person who was shot is not:

In a long text conversation with the witness who recorded that while at a restaurant/bar across the street, we agreed to keep them anonymous (we don’t even know their name). They had already shown the video to police, who, they say, showed up quickly, within “three or four minutes” of the gunfire.

From the witness’s view, it started as “a very large group of young adults yelling and using derogatory terms as well as throwing things at this vehicle, which led to a fistfight in the middle of the street.” Then, the witness says, one person kicked off the black car’s driver’s-side mirror, and another punched out a passenger side window, followed by shots from a passenger, and then toward the end, someone “returned fire” after the black car sped off westbound.

As noted in our Sunday report, there was no “assault with weapons” large Seattle Fire medic response, because police found no victim at the scene. Seattle Police say they were later contacted by Everett Police after a 17-year-old boy with a gunshot wound to the leg turned up at a hospital there. Police have since talked to the victim; on Sunday, they told us he was “uncooperative” with investigators. The incident also is now detailed on SPD Blotter.

As far as we can tell from WSB archives, this is the first incident in 2 1/2 years in which someone has been shot in the Alki area. Not the first case of gunfire, but the first case with a victim, since this case in August 2012.

Even before this, local police had promised more presence at the beach this year via both the new Southwest Precinct bicycle patrols and a new mobile-precinct vehicle that is on the way after the precinct went years without a replacement for the one SPD lost in an arson attack. That is what the lifelong West Seattleite who shared video of Sunday’s shooting is hoping for: “I hate that these hoodlums are ruining my neighborhood.”

ADDED 2:11 PM: A few additional details are in the Southwest Precinct summary of what happened, which we obtained from precinct Operations Lt. Ron Smith:

On 3/22/15 at 0109 hour, Officers were dispatched to a fight disturbance/shots fired incident in the 2600 block of Alki Av SW (just west of Marine Av SW & Alki Av SW). Initial report to 911 has it that: two people were down and that someone has a leg wound.

Upon officers arriving in the area, the suspects involved in the fight/shots-fired were GOA [gone on arrival], possibly in vehicle/s. There was no “scene” other than the spot where the incident occurred. Officers checked the area and did not locate any evidence such as shell casings or blood to indicate that someone has been shot. A baseball cap was located and submitted into evidence. During a canvas of the bar across the street, an officer located a witness who had recorded the shots fired incident on his cell phone. The video was sent to the police and submitted into evidence.

Based upon the on-scene investigation, it appears that at least 6 people were surrounding a vehicle. One of the 6 people kicked the vehicle’s left rear view mirror and damaged it. The front passenger from the vehicle fired at least 3 shots at the 6 people as the 6 people were surrounding it. The 6 people then scattered, running away. A white male is then seen getting into the driver’s seat of the vehicle and drove it away, on Alki Av SW.

At 0345 hour, Everett PD called SPD 911 and reported that they have a “victim” with a non-life threatening gunshot wound in the leg. The “victim” was uncooperative and was with his girlfriend. The Everett PD Officers will complete a report under their case number, DD 15-5308. This incident was screened by phone with our Homicide/Assault unit.

Lt. Smith, who is acting precinct commander, confirms that patrols, including officers on bicycles, will be increased. The mobile-precinct vehicle has not yet been delivered.

]]>http://westseattleblog.com/2015/03/video-alki-shooting-fight-recorded-by-witness-who-hopes-this-will-show-why-we-need-more-police/feed/78West Seattle Crime Watch update: 2 vehicles stolen from 1 house in 3 days, found in same placehttp://westseattleblog.com/2015/03/west-seattle-crime-watch-2-vehicles-stolen-from-1-house-in-3-days/
http://westseattleblog.com/2015/03/west-seattle-crime-watch-2-vehicles-stolen-from-1-house-in-3-days/#commentsMon, 23 Mar 2015 04:18:39 +0000WSBhttp://westseattleblog.com/?p=3047789:18 PM: Auto thieves have hit one family in Gatewood twice in the past three days. The vehicles taken from their driveway/carport are a taupe 2006 Volvo XC70, license plate AMR4548, stolen Friday morning, and a silver 2006 Nissan Frontier 4-door pickup, license plate B31289L, gone since early today. The vehicles’ owners say there was nothing about the first theft that facilitated the second – no key left in either car, for example. If you see either vehicle, please call 911.

9 AM MONDAY: The vehicles’ owner says they both were found in an apartment-building parking lot in the 6500 block of 35th SW, less than a mile away from where they were stolen: “Someone in the apartments called to report the Volvo as a suspicious vehicle. When we arrived, we saw the truck parked in another stall. The Volvo was driven more than 150 miles and contained a lot of drug and DNA evidence. Unfortunately, there were no clean prints. The truck had more of the same drug evidence, it wasn’t driven more than 20+ miles.”

]]>http://westseattleblog.com/2015/03/west-seattle-crime-watch-2-vehicles-stolen-from-1-house-in-3-days/feed/3West Seattle Crime Watch: 1 injured in early-morning Alki shootinghttp://westseattleblog.com/2015/03/west-seattle-crime-watch-1-injured-in-early-morning-alki-shooting/
http://westseattleblog.com/2015/03/west-seattle-crime-watch-1-injured-in-early-morning-alki-shooting/#commentsSun, 22 Mar 2015 20:19:17 +0000WSBhttp://westseattleblog.com/?p=3046991:19 PM SUNDAY: Finally just confirmed some information about a shooting on Alki early today. Usually, a shooting leads to an “assault with weapons” Seattle Fire callout and that’s our first hint; this one didn’t, and no texts had come in (206-293-6302 any time!), so we’ve been trying to reach police for info, after a couple of e-mail questions came in later in the morning. It happened around 1:30 am in the Alki SW/Marine vicinity. People heard gunfire, multiple shots, including uphill in Admiral. No victim was found at the scene – but hours later, we just confirmed with Seattle Police, they were notified by Everett Police that a victim had shown up at an Everett hospital with a leg wound. No other details of circumstances, so far.

No new commander announced for the precinct yet, one week after the news of now-Assistant Chief Steve Wilske‘s promotion, which came one year after his SWP arrival. Operations Lt. Ron Smith, who’s in charge of the precinct in the meantime, said he isn’t seeking the position.

CRIME TRENDS: Lt. Smith led the customary briefing. Auto theft is up; burglaries are down. And as has been widely reported, including here, strong-arm robberies are up – if you don’t know the definition, “no weapons implied or used, but that doesn’t make much difference to the victim,” as Lt. Smith put it. He also discussed how incidents get classified as robberies if they aren’t the stereotypical case of a criminal coming up to a victim and demanding something; in particular, the shoplift-turned-robbery type of case was discussed.

Community Police Team Officers Jon Flores and Erin Nicholson got up at that point to get into more detail.

Regarding shoplift-turned-robbery incidents, Officer Flores said they often involve alcohol, so they are continuing to work with stores that just didn’t anticipate the privatization of liquor leading to so mch shoplifting, and didn’t design their liquor sections originally in hadn’t focused much security on it, where it’s located in stores, etc., so now many have built new sections where it’s done, and are making other changes. “It’s still a work in progress, but we’re hoping to see stores go to systems where you can’t just walk up, (get a bottle, and walk out with it).” He said they’re also working with stores regarding the responses that have led to shoplifting turned into robberies because employees’ lives aren’t worth risking over these items – they’re emphasizing having store employees be “good observers” when needed.

While in the past it’s been suggested that police and store security weren’t always in communication, Officer Flores said they’re getting a lot of calls these days, about known suspects being seen, people showing up who have been “trespassed” (written up because of past problems at the store and told they can’t come back), etc.

SOUTHWEST BICYCLE SQUAD: The long-in-the-works plan that was finalized recently is close to reality. It’s starting in two weeks, two bicycles for each sector, and the relief squad too, so “you will see a lot more” officers on bicycles. The two officers who have been on bicycles for a while, said Officer Nicholson, had a meeting with Westwood Village just last week. (She also mentioned a multi-agency meeting is coming up regarding the issues with the Westwood/Roxhill Park transit hub.) Around the peninsula, two bicycle officers will be on night shift and visible while out patroling, Lt. Smith added.

MOBILE PRECINCT: Lt. Smith talked about the new one that the SWP is getting to replace the one that’s been out since arson destroyed it years ago. It’s being put together in Florida. It will not only be helpful on Alki in the summertime, he said, it’ll also work well in a variety of other circumstances, including big events such as West Seattle Summer Fest.

SPECIAL GUEST – FORCE INVESTIGATIONS: The meeting began with a somewhat-surprise guest (no advance announcement from WSCPC), Capt. Mike Teeter, who, as noted in his introduction, worked at the Southwest Precinct in its early days and now leads the Force Investigations Team – another side note, that team was first led by former precinct commander Wilske.

Capt. Teeter’s work relates to the federal investigation of SPD and the resulting reforms. He offered context for his team’s work and how “use of force” investigations have evolved – now starting with supervisors responding to the scene, continuing with interviews and photos, canvassing the area for witnesses and video, accounting for all officers’ actions, evaluating the incident for “areas of concern,” and “prepar(ing) a detailed report.”

The team was “born” a little more than a year ago. He has a lieutenant, sergeant, and 6 detectives, a “very experienced group who received intense training specific to the investigation of use-of-force incidents.”

Capt. Teeter noted that “the vast majority of officers go through the entirety of their career without firing their weapon” – officer-involved shootings happen on average six times a year, in a force that currently numbers about 1,350 officers, he said. When it happens, “We don’t come in assuming it’s a good shooting or assuming it’s a bad shooting – we collect the evidence.” Force Investigations works with the CSI team to process scenes. The Office of Professional Accountability also gets involved. Two binders of paperwork usually ensue, and the investigation goes through “three levels of Force Investigations Team supervisor/staff review internally before submission to the assistant chief.” From there, it goes to OPA, and to the federal monitor, and finally to the Force Review Board.

He said investigations result in training and potential procedure changes, after a long list of questions asked by that board. And he said SPD releases information about it “so the media doesn’t just spin (their own version).”

In 2014, the team handled 46 total cases, 9 officer-involved shootings.

Is the department incorporating body-cam video into these processes and investigations? was the first question when Capt. Teeter segued into Q/A. Yes, he said, while noting that right now it’s just a pilot program through the East Precinct. (Lt. Smith pointed out that blurred versions of the body-camera videos are available now on a YouTube channel.) Also regarding video, he said that police scour areas where incidents happen in hopes of finding citizens’ video, whether via surveillance cameras or phone cameras. Lt. Smith also mentioned the in-car video from police vehicles, saying that supervisors watch every minute of it while investigating/reviewing incidents.

He showed a clip from a Phoenix TV newscast in which a man identified as a local civil-rights activist “experience(d) use-of-force training.” (You can see it here.)

NEXT WSCPC MEETING: The special guest for the next meeting, 7 pm Tuesday, April 21st, is scheduled to be Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes.

That’s up from 15 during the same week last year. Car-prowl details aren’t posted by SPD – only where/when they happened – but we have details via two reader reports – first, from Jill:

Just wanted to inform the neighbors and also wondering if anyone saw anything:

The rear driver’s side window of my Subaru Outback was smashed in last night sometime between 6:00 pm and 10:00 pm, at the West Seattle YMCA. It was parked in the gravel spaces on the north side of the building (along SW Oregon St). They rummaged through my really boring stuff in the backseat, but nothing was taken. I don’t think they even made their way to the front seats or the cargo area, as all the doors were still locked. If someone scared them off, I hope they can provide some description of the perp(s) to the police.

Earlier this week, Alex‘s car was ransacked in the Luna Park area:

My car was broken into (window smashed) and my backpack full of books and student papers ( I teach at a local college) was taken. I have a feeling that the backpack and its contents will be disposed of somewhere, as I can’t see them being helpful to anyone but me. Can you ask readers to keep their eyes peeled for a purple backpack full of ESL textbooks and papers?

These are the latest unfortunate reminders that even if you think what you left in your vehicle doesn’t look like something criminals would bother with – chances are, you’re wrong. Even a couple of canvas grocery bags strewn in the back of a car might look to a prowler like something worth checking out – possibly at the expense of the glass in your vehicle’s window.

ASSAULT/ROBBERY ON THE ROOF: A teenager’s dad is hoping someone might be able to help solve the case of who beat and robbed his son. His son was skateboarding on the roof of Chief Sealth International High School on Saturday night. He says a security guard asked him to leave; he didn’t, and the guard returned 15 minutes later, he said, trailed by “three Samoan teens between 15 and 18, one wearing a green shirt with short hair, one wearing a red shirt with a pony tail, and the third with a black tank top and fairly long hair.” He says they claimed to be relatives of the guard and said that they were going to beat him up, so he ran, but they caught up with him, hit him in the head, and then when he broke away, chased him again, and caught him in a chokehold and pummeled him until he lost consciousness.

When he came to, the victim says, they were leaving, and taking his skateboard. He called 911; firefighters came and put a ladder up to the roof to find and treat him before his father took him to urgent care. The victim describes his injuries as a broken nose, a cut that needed five stitches, and swelling around his eye (his father showed photos backing this up). His father has been trying to see if the school had surveillance video but says he first was told the cameras weren’t working, then was told they were, but that no one was available to show him the video. (We have had an inquiry out with Seattle Public Schools on that but no resolution yet.) If you have any information that might help catch the attackers, please contact SPD. (added) Their report says two school-security employees who were present told police they hadn’t seen anyone else in the area.

STOLEN CAR: Maybe you’ve seen Monica‘s car, stolen this morning?

On March 17 between midnight and 8 am my 1993 Subaru Legacy Wagon was stolen from outside my residence between 40th and 41st Ave SW on Brandon St. The car is maroon in color, license plate 244-YZB, with an “Others Like Us” face sticker on the driver’s side window. Nothing of value inside or out, just a trusty old car.

Our house at 100th and California Ave SW was burglarized this past Tuesday, March 10th, sometime between 7 and 10am. A Good Samaritan on Marine View Drive called SPD when she spotted the burglar tossing keys (stolen from a dresser in our home) into some shrubbery. SPD then traced the keys back to my husband.

We returned home from work to discover our house a mess, and that our laptops, iPads, and other miscellaneous items were stolen. The thief had climbed our fence and tossed a rock through a bedroom window to gain entry.

We have reported the incident to SPD, along with the description of a suspicious person we noticed that morning. Just a day and a half after this occurred, our next-door neighbor reported that someone had broken into her car!

Neighbors, please be on the alert. We are new to Arbor Heights (just bought our home 6 months ago) and have been very dismayed at this recent rash of issues across the neighborhood.

MISSING MAIL? From Dotti tonight:

Just wanting to let you know we just spotted a man trying to get into our bank of mailboxes on 25th between Findlay and Juneau. I reported it and do have a description if anyone is missing their mail today.

STOLEN? OR LOST? Christine spotted these items by the 37th/Findlay staircase and shared a photo, wondering if perhaps they were stolen and dumped:

If you find something of value, you can always notify police, who can store it in evidence (maybe there’ll even be a “reunion”).

WEST SEATTLE CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL: Your monthly chance to hear from and talk with local police is during the WSCPC‘s monthly meeting next Tuesday (March 17th), 7 pm, Southwest Precinct (Webster/Delridge).

(Family photo of Greggette Guy during a hike, 2004)
Admiring the beauty of Puget Sound from Beach Drive the other night, it occurred to us that a sad and unsettling anniversary was near, and indeed, an archive check confirmed that today marks exactly three years since 51-year-old Greggette Guy was found dead in the water near Cormorant Cove Park. Police believed she was killed sometime the night before, after traveling here to take a walk at/near Emma Schmitz Overlook, where her car was found:

The Criminal Investigations Bureau Chief and Violent Crimes Captain have conducted a thorough review of all unsolved homicides twice during 2014. While I cannot discuss specifics of those open investigations in this report, I can tell you that the cases that remain unsolved have either problems with the integrity of evidence or a lack of cooperation from witnesses. I hope that we can develop greater trust and communication with our community so that individuals with information about these cases or other unsolved crimes will come forward.

That hope is echoed today in the response to our inquiry; Det. Patrick Michaud said, “The case is still open, active and ongoing. However, we still need the public’s help. If (you) know anything, call (206) 233-5000.”